Managing staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) made a 48-hour working visit to Côte d'Ivoire. Their aim was to draw inspiration from the economic model of Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Électricité (CIE), notably for power distribution. The two firms decided to strengthen their cooperation, in accordance with the commitments made by the leaders of the two countries, President Alassane Ouattara and President Nana Akufo-Addo.

A strong delegation from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), led by its Chairman of the Board, Keli Gadzeko, is making a 48-hour visit to Côte d'Ivoire. Objective: to draw inspiration from the economic model of the Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Électricité (CIE), in particular in relation with electrical energy distribution. On the first day, Dominique Kakou, CIE Managing Director, with whom the Ghanaian delegation had a working session, reassured the ECG delegation that Côte d'Ivoire is still ready to support Ghana in this sector.

Keli Gadzeko told the media in Marcory "It is certain that the CIE has a very mature, well-established organisation. We came to learn". In May 2017, during a friendly work visit to Côte d'Ivoire, the Ghanaian head of state, Nana Akufo Addo, went to the Ivorian Electricity Generation Company (Ciprel) in port-Bouët-Vridi to discover the company.

A private operator and subsidiary of the Eranove group, the CIE (4769 employees) is linked to the state by a concession agreement covering production, transport and distribution, and marketing facilities. The provision also takes into account the import and export of electric energy throughout the national territory and in the subregion. Ghana, just like Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Liberia benefit from this export. The company has had these segments in hand for 27 years.

"The company was organised around a model led by a managerial policy that is specific and adapted to the African context. It takes into account what is positive like all modern companies do", explained the CIE Managing Director, on the last day of this visit.

This was marked, among other things, by the presentation of the managerial, social and union policy of this company based in Treichville. "The most important thing for us is to see how this company works here to learn important lessons, because we have now taken the same path," says Keli Gadzeko. Transportation and energy movements, dispatching as well as the organisation of distribution operations were also central to this trip.

"Workers take initiatives with a policy of decentralization, accountability and in the end, they know that they are controlled based on their own self-control. Such system allows for fluidity of action on the ground. There is a force that allows us to go quickly and correct mistakes", added Dominique Kakou. With a turnover of 164.2 billion CFA francs, the CIE (state: 15% of the shares), which exported 1648 gigawatt hours in 2016, claims to have a customer portfolio (high and low voltage) of nearly 1.63 million. Thanks to its management, the company enjoys a long-term AA + financial rating with a positive outlook and a stable outlook on the short term with an A1 + rating.

Energy Hub

Although it imports some of its energy from its Ivorian neighbour and even from Nigeria, Ghana has great regional ambitions in this sector, aiming to become a hub. An ambition that also feeds Abidjan. From 2020 onwards, this country of 268,537 km2 intends to offer full access to electricity, which is in high demand, to its population, estimated at around 26 million, just like in Côte d'Ivoire (about 10%). Thanks to reforms conducted in this sector, it now has five independent power producers (IPP). The installed capacity of the country is estimated at more than 3,500 megawatts and should reach 5,500 by 2030; a little less than Côte d'Ivoire (currently more than 2000) at the same time (6000 Mgw) against 4000 MW in 2020. Focusing mainly on solar, hydro and thermal, Ghana relies on many private investments and is multiplying initiatives to achieve this.